Hernandez was considered fortunate by many to have escaped with his lineal cruiserweight crown still intact after 12 hard-fought rounds with a determined Ross. Even the champion’s own promoter wasn’t in complete agreement with the final outcome.

“That was a very interesting and exciting fight and a lucky win for Pablo,” stated Wilfried Sauerland, who was away on business in South Africa and limited to a televised viewing of the bout. “A draw probably would have been more just.”

The fight was a wild brawl throughout, with momentum swaying back and forth. Hernandez was floored in the fifth round and appeared on his way out, but somehow managed to survive the round and resume control of the fight. However, the defending world champion was running on empty down the stretch, at which point Ross took over and appeared to do enough to pull off the upset.

The ringside officials disagreed. Scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 116-112 gave Hernandez the second successful defense of the lineal crown he won in his first fight with Steve Cunningham last December.

Overall, Sauerland was glad his fighter avoided a loss but was generally displeased with his performance.

“Pablo did not seem to be concentrated enough and he was not as explosive as he used to be. Rather than controlling the fight with his jab, he was happy to trade punches and went for the KO. That gave Ross the opportunity to counter with his hooks.

“That´s why (Hernandez) did not look good in the third and fifth round. In the ninth, Pablo had the chance to end the fight, but he didn´t follow it up decisively enough.”

Given the close and exciting nature of the fight as well as the disputed ending, the Hall of Fame promoter wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel.

“From my point of view, there should be a rematch to find a clear winner,” Sauerland suggests.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to [email protected]

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